Gialel B&B

Rome

Books have been written about the Eternal City, and Rome remains a city where it is hard to get enough. The great metropolis, a cradle of culture, a city with a history unmatched by any other, and yet there will always be more to see and experience.

St Peter's Basilica and the Colosseum remind us how important artistic milestones the Italians managed to set and how advanced they were in their architectural achievements, and it's hard not to be captivated by the magnificent buildings, all of which bear witness to an incredible history, power, conquests and understanding of how to build a sustainable infrastructure that is also a pleasure to look at.

That all roads lead to Rome is nothing new under the sun, but to understand Rome and its nearest psychedelic power, it requires a trip with time and desire to explore.

Romance flourishes in the right setting, and here Rome is arguably the best form of romantic seduction to be found in southern Europe. Read a poem to your sweetheart on the Spanish Steps, crane your neck together in the Sistine Chapel, visit the eerie catacombs of Callixtus or visit Piazza Navona together and cozy up on the edge of the Fontana del Nettuno with a sandwich, in Rome anything is possible, with a view!

The Spanish Steps

The famous Spanish Steps are located in Piazza di Spagna, named after Spain, which did not pay for this beautiful staircase but was paid for by a French diplomat to ensure that the city's citizens had easier access to the French church Trinitá dei Monti and Villa Medici. But the gift also came with a condition: the staircase had to be French territory, which is why Rome continues to pay taxes to France for the Romans to use the Spanish Steps.

The staircase is named after its proximity to the Spanish Embassy area.

Colosseum

The large and very fascinating Amphitheatre is located right in the centre of Rome and is one of the greatest architectural masterpieces left to us by the Romans. Construction began around 71 AD under Emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD during the reign of Emperor Titus. In fact, the amphitheatre was named after Flavio, Anfiteatro Flavio, which was the family name of both Titus and Vespasian. It was not until the Middle Ages that the amphitheatre was renamed the Colosseum, mostly because of the large bronze statue of Emperor Nero that stood in the square in front of the amphitheatre.

It was here that Christians were sacrificed to lions and gladiators won fame and fortune if they stayed alive long enough.

Pantheon

This ancient monument is certainly one of the best preserved in Rome. It was originally built by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in 27 BC and was a temple dedicated to the pagan gods. Agrippa's name is still inscribed on the granite pillars, M.Agrippa.L.F.COS.Tertium.Fecit, (as: Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius and consul for the third time, had this built). It was rebuilt under the Emperor Hadrian in the years 118 - 125 AD and later, in the 3rd century, underwent a series of restorations under the Severian Emperors and in 609 was given to Pope Boniface IV as a gift, who in turn used the temple as a burial church and named the temple, Santa Maria ad Martyres.

Boniface IV then arranged for the bones of the Christian saints buried in the catacombs outside the city walls to be buried in Santa Maria ad Martyres instead.

The Pantheon is located in the lower part of Rome, in the old Campus Martius, on the south side of Piazza ella Rotonda.

Circus Maximus

It was Rome's first and largest circus, built in 329 BC and later expanded to accommodate close to 350,000 spectators and it measured 600 metres multiplied by 200 metres. In other words, a serious facility!

The magnificent circus is located between the Palatine and Aventine Hills. The centre line was originally guarded by two Egyptian obelisks, one of which now stands in Piazza del Popolo and the other in front of the church of S. Giovanni in Laterano.

What remains of Circus Maximus today dates back to Imperial times, but it's easy to imagine this magnificent facility packed with cheering and excited spectators.

Piazza Navona

Probably the most popular square in Rome is Piazza Navona, originally a sports complex and racecourse, built under Emperor Domitian around 86 AD and measuring no less than 276 metres and 106 metres wide with seating for around 30,000 spectators.

In fact, the buildings around the square are built on top of the foundations that were originally laid for the spectator seating.

The Fountain of Neptune, or Fontana del Nettuno, located on the northern side of the square, was commissioned by Pope Gregory around 1570 and executed by Giacomo della Porta.

The fountain in the middle of the square, in front of the church of St. Agnese in Agone, is called 'The 4 Rivers', Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, and represents the Danube, the Ganges, the Nile and the Plata, which also symbolize the four corners of the world. The Fontana del Moro is located in the southern part of the square and is one of Rome's oldest fountains. The fountain was built around 1570 and was commissioned by Pope Gregory and the beautiful fountain was designed by Bernini.

Piazza Navona is also called 'Rome's living room' by the locals, so why not enjoy the atmosphere and discover the exciting and historic square in Rome.